First property - owner occupied or investment?

[Nick Pisano]

Hi all-

I'm a new investor looking for my first property, and find myself at a bit of a crossroads in terms of strategy.

I live in Washington, DC, and my current goal is to get a small multi-family or house-hackable single family. I've been encouraged by my boss and mentor to owner-occupy my first property, primarily to take advantage of lower rates and cut my own living expenses in the process.
 However, I'm running into some issues based on affordability. Simply, there's not a ton of deals here that I'd be able to get a loan for (mostly based on my income rather than down payment) and the ones that I can afford/qualify for are generally in neighborhoods I wouldn't feel comfortable living in. 

My question to more experienced investors is, given all that, is it worth looking into buying a place strictly as an investment (either locally or long-distance)? Generally, how much more should I expect to pay in interest rates, fees, and down payment? Or should I just be patient, and keep searching for an owner-occupiable place that fits my situation? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!